April 27, 2015 – The Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team claimed a one-two finish in Carlos Paz. This was Citroën Racing’s tenth win at Rally Argentina. It was the team’s 29th one-two finish in the World Rally Championship and the first such result achieved by current driver line-up, Kris Meeke/Paul Nagle and Mads Østberg/Jonas Andersson. Sheikh Khalid bin Faisal Al Qassimi wrapped up his WRC debut for this season in 6th place overall with his co-driver Chris Patterson.
Citroën Racing really does love Rally Argentina. The French team has now won ten of its last eleven appearances in Carlos Paz. This victory, built from the outset by Kris Meeke, has been the perfect way to launch the DS brand in South America.
Having already set the joint fastest time in Wednesday’s shakedown, Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle only missed out on winning the first stage by 0.2 seconds. Having grabbed the lead after the treacherous SS2, the DS 3 WRC crew then controlled perfectly from the front on what is an incredibly difficult event.
Kris Meeke maintained his lead to the end to take his first ever win in the World Championship. In doing so, he claimed the first win by a British driver since Colin McRae prevailed at the 2002 Safari Rally. Kris becomes the 74th driver to win a World Championship race and the fourth most successful Briton, after the late Colin McRae (25 wins), Richard Burns (10) and Roger Clarke (1). Paul Nagle is only the second Irish co-driver to win a WRC round after Ronan McNamee in 1989. For Citroën Racing, this is their 94th WRC win and their 29th one-two finish, both of which are new records!
As in Mexico, Mads Østberg and Jonas Andersson collected a large haul of points as runners-up. After four rounds of the 2015 season, they now lie second in the World Championship standings, having also secured a bonus point in the Power Stage.
Thanks to the maximum points scored in this one-two finish, the Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team now lies second in the Manufacturers’ standings.
Next up is Rally de Portugal on 21-24 May. This year, the base for the event – still held on gravel – moves to Matosinhos, to the north of Porto.
FINAL PROVISIONAL STANDINGS
1. Kris Meeke / Paul Nagle (DS 3 WRC) 3:41:44.9
2. Mads Østberg / Jonas Andersson (DS 3 WRC) +18.1
3. Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +3:27.4
4. Martin Prokop / Jan Tomanek (Ford Fiesta RS WRC) +6:26.1
5. Dani Sordo / Marc Marti (Hyundai i20 WRC) +10:46.7
6. Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi / Chris Patterson (DS 3 WRC) +11:19.9
7. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari / Marshall Clarke (Ford Fiesta RRC) +16:02.6
8. Diego Dominguez / Edgardo Galindo (Ford Fiesta R5) +18:48.2
9. Gustavo Saba / Diego Cagnotti (Skoda Fabia Super 2000) +21:20.6
10. Federico Villagra / Diego Curletto (Ford Fiesta) +25:19.6…
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Sébastien Ogier 84 points
2. Mads Østberg 51 points
3. Andreas Mikkelsen 47 points
4. Elfyn Evans 41 points
5. Kris Meeke 35 points
6. Thierry Neuville 35 points
7. Dani Sordo 30 points
8. Martin Prokop 26 points
9. Jari-Matti Latvala 19 points
10. Ott Tanak 12 points…
1. Volkswagen Motorsport 103 points
2. Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team 85 points
3. Hyundai Motorsport 85 points
4. M-Sport World Rally Team 73 points
5. Jipocar Czech National Team 32 points…